Air-valve for oil-cans



(No Model.)

L H. Poss. AIR'VALVB FOR OIL CANS. No. 362,072. Patented May 3, 18 87.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LORETTO I-I. FOSS, OF PORTLAND, MAINE.

AIR-VALVE FOR OIL-CANS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 362,072, dated May 3,1887.

Application filed February 14, 1887. Serial No. 227,520.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, LORETTO H. Foss, acitizen of the United States,residing at Portland, in the county of Cumberland and State of Maine,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in AirValves forOil-Cans and other Vessels and I do hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains, to make and use thesame.

My invention relates to air-valves, and it is designed to be applied tocans, barrels, and other vessels containing liquids, for the purpose ofallowing the inlet of air and preventing the escape of the containedliquid.

My invention consists of a cylindrical airvent for oil-cans, having onthe lower end of the cylinder a standard screw-thread adapted to engagea like thread on the mouth of the can, and having twocentrally-perforated conical diaphragms with their points extendingdownward, whereby air is admitted and the contents of the can preventedfrom escaping,

Hitherto oil-cans and the like have been principally made and usedwithout any automatic air-valve or venting device. Most cans have beenfitted with a screw cap or cover, which was loosened to allow of theinlet of air when the oil was to be removed. It has also been customaryto use corks with a V-shaped slot cut in their sides, these corks beingin serted in the mouth of the can. Among locomotive-engineers it is nouncommon thing for the engineer to cut a hole through the top of the canto admit the air and allow a free flow of oil from the can. In all thesecases when the can was inverted more or less oil was sure to find itsway out, resulting in a great waste of material. v

It is well-known that as oil-cans are made and put on the market at thepresent time a very large class of them have a screw-cap covering theirmonths, the screw-threads with which such caps are provided being of astandard size. My device being provided with screw-threads of standardsize is adapted to being sold in the market for use on oil-cans having ascrew-threaded mouth. Thus as a new article of manufacture it is anexceedingly useful and valuable device.

. fit the thread on the mouth ofthe can.

(No model.)

I am aware that downwardprojecting conical diaphragms have been used invents for cases for transmitting nitro-glycerine;but such vents havebeen permanently fixed to the case or can and were not constructed as adistinct and separate article of manufacture, as in my presentinvention.I am also aware that other vents have been made having flat or nearlyflat diaphragms; but these do not prove so effectual as the conicaldiaphragms in preventing the escape of oil.

My invention is fully illustrated by the accompanying drawings, inwhich- Figure 1 is a sectional view of an oil-can with my air-valveapplied thereto. Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of the valveunattached to the can.

A is the oil-can, and B its mouth,having the usual screw-thread toreceive the cap.

0 is a cylinder,preferably of tin,and having on its lower end ascrew-thread, 0 adapted to The cylinder has apartition, 0, across thetop,having in its center a small vent-hole, 0-'.

Two conical partitions or diaphragms,D D, are inserted in the cylinderpoint downward, small vent-holes 0 0' passing through each point. Thesediaphragms D D are placed one over the other,so that there is formedbetween them the chamber J and above them the chamber J. The cylinder isscrewed tightly to the mouth of the can.

hen the can is inverted, the oil will pass down through the outlet, andair will be drawn in through the several partitions of the airvalve, thepeculiar form of the diaphragms preventing any oil from passing throughthe lower diaphragm. If any air should by chance pass through the lowerdiaphragm, it will be lodged in chamber J. It is evident that when myvalve has once been tightly screwed on it works automatically and ithasno working parts whatever. It is also very cheaply constructed.

The exact form of the partition is a matter of no consequence, providedthe diaphragm is depressed and has a vent in the lower portion of suchdepression. The diaphragm may be conical,'oval, spherieal,or any otherform. It may be applied to any vessel designed to and from which liquidsare to be drawn is sufficient in all ordinary cases to prevent of thecan, and having contained therein two the exit of the liquid contents ofthe vessel; centrally-perforated conical diaphragms with but I prefer touse two to make the valve pertheir points projecting downward, substan-5 fectly safe in all cases. If any liquid gets in tially as described.

the lower cha1nber,ib drains back into the can In testimony whereof Iaffix my signature when thelatter is placed in an uprightposition. inpresence of two witnesses.

through a tap or otherwise. One diaphragm l adapted to engage a likethread on the mouth I claixn- LORETTO H. FOSS.

As a new article of manufacture, an air-vent Witnesses: IO foroil-eans,whic11 consists of a cylinder hav lug S. NV. BATES,

on its lower end a standard screw-thread VILBUR F. LUNT.

